It felt so joyous to be included in this special day! My friend, and fellow wedding vendor, Vanessa Todd, is an incredible wedding photographer based in LA. After she fell in love with Mark, a magician from the Magic Castle, they knew they wanted their wedding to feel like them and be really intentional with tons of personal DIY elements included.

From Vanessa’s instagram:
Getting Ready
“Mark and I were luck to have a family member host our wedding in their backyard. Their home is a special place to both of us as individuals and as a couple. Dating in the middle of peek pandemic months, most of our dates were spent at that home, in its backyard, and in the kitchen. To get married in the backyard nearly two years later felt incredibly special and sentimental to the both of us. I had two close friends help me get ready, keep me company, and assist in all the chaotic last minute tasks that go into a wedding day. My cousin made our wedding cake (lemon!) and as she finished it that morning, sent samples to the room for us to try and eat as breakfast - so I got to eat our wedding cake twice on our wedding day! I taught Erin how to use my Super 8 camera which she used to film our first look on. Helen helped arrange impossible last minute florals. My dad and brother assembled our ceremony arch.”

First Look
”When we did see one another, it was full uncontrollable tears of happiness and joy from both of us! Some of my favorite video snaps of the day were taken of us just checking one another out after we had recomposed ourselves.We spent an hour together in the rose garden at Descanso Gardens, mostly hugging one another. It was such a sweet time and one of my favorite moments from our wedding day.”

The Ceremony
”As an avid wedding go-er I have come to feel that the ceremony is the whole reason for the wedding day. It is the ceremony that brings everyone together in celebration. Mark and I both felt we didn’t want to rush the cause for celebration and we also wanted it to feel uniquely special to us, so we added a few personal touches.
We got married in the backyard with 40 family members and friends. I was surprisingly shocked at how nervous I was to say my vows right before walking down the aisle. But as soon as I saw Mark at the end of the aisle, I locked eyes with him and I can’t truly remember seeing any of our guests for most of our ceremony. We both hand wrote our vows out onto paper the night before our wedding, side-by-side on the couch. Unbelievably, we somehow chose the same poem as the end to each of our vows to one another. During the ceremony, we had a Shirley Temple unity ceremony lead by the friend we shared the most about of Shirley’s with, where I poured grenadine and Mark poured sprite. And the best of all, at the end, Mark ✨magically ✨ produced the rings. I let my cousin and flower girl pick the rose petals colors for the flower girl basket and recessional toss and every guest went FULL OUT ensuring the petals were tossed as we exited the ceremony as husband and wife.”

Vendors:
Photo @kamiarant
Hair/Makeup @emilylynnandcompany
Dress @viviennewestwood @brides_for_a_cause
Suit @tedbaker
Catering @forkloreco
DJ @ahsohnthedj
Venue: Private Residence